This post is for anyone who is feeling a little lost in all the world building after watching the first episode of the Netflix show, for fans of the book who are wondering how the show combined the Shadow & Bone trilogy and Six of Crows duology, and for new fans who are discovering the Grishaverse through the Netflix show and are now wondering where to start with the books.
The fandom is huge and there are so many resources out there, but there are also lots of spoilers, which can make them hard to browse through. So I’m here to give you a quick rundown to get you started, with spoilers from the first episode of the Netflix show but spoiler-free otherwise. I tried to only hit the questions that seem to always come up—nothing too deep—so feel free to ask any questions you have left!
What you need to know about the Grishaverse to understand the first episode
Spoiler warning for first episode of Netflix show lol. (recap + world building notes)
Rest assured, you don’t need to have read the books to follow the show, but so many names of people of places get thrown at you in the first episode, anyone would be overwhelmed by all the world building!
The premise
When caught in a deadly attack while crossing the Shadow Fold, Alina Starkov’s dormant powers unleash and she discovers that she is the mythical Sun Summoner–the first of her kind, and the only hope of destroying the Fold to unite East and West Ravka. Over in Kerch, Kaz Brekker vies for a one-million-kruge job to kidnap the Sun Summoner.
Recap of the first episode
Alina and Mal Oretsev are childhood friends from the orphanage they grew up in. Now both part of the Ravkan king’s First Army, they await their next assignments. When Mal is assigned to assist the Grisha of the Second Army in crossing the Fold, Alina schemes to get herself assigned as well, fearing for his life. She burns a bunch of maps and, as a cartographer of the First Army, volunteers to cross the Fold, but gets her whole unit assigned as well. On the skiff crossing the Fold, they get attacked by volcra. Alina’s dormant powers unleash and she discovers that she is the mythical Sun Summoner–the first of her kind, and the only hope of destroying the Fold to unite East and West Ravka.
Over on the island of Kerch, Inej Ghafa informs Kaz about a lead on a one-million-kruge job: Dreesen is looking for a crew to cross the Fold into East Ravka and bring something back. Kaz receives an intercepted message about Dreesen requesting a Heartrender from the Orchid and figures this is his way to get an exclusive on the job, beating out Pekka Rollins. Once Kaz and his crew of Crows (Inej and Jesper Fahey) bring Dreesen the Heartrender, Dreesen uses the Heartrender to interrogate a survivor from the crossing–a boy from Alina’s unit. They learn of the Sun Summoner and Dreesen reveals that the job is to kidnap her.
World building
What’s the Fold? Why can’t you just go around it? The Fold is a region of darkness filled with flesh-eating volcra, created hundreds of years ago by a Shadow Summoner called The Black Heretic. It divides East and West Ravka, and Ravkans are forced to travel through it because they’re surrounded by enemies in the north and south, and also traveling around it would take too much time. Traveling under it isn’t an option because the digging noises attract monsters, and traveling over it isn’t an option either because volcra can fly. Legend says that only the Sun Summoner can destroy it.
Who’s fighting who? Ravka is surrounded by enemies in the north and south. In the north is Fjerda, where the men hunt and kill Grisha (these Grisha-hunting men are called drüskelle), and in the south is Shu Han. Ravka is the only nation safe for Grisha, but even within Ravka, Grisha experience prejudice. Within Ravka, there is tension between the East and West, as West Ravka, led by General Zlatan, wishes to become independent and thus doesn’t mind that the Fold is there. The Ravkan king, residing in the capital of Os Alta in East Ravka, wishes the Fold destroyed for a united Ravka. Here’s a map of the nations.
What’s a Grisha and wtf is a Heartrender even? Grisha refers to people with powers, not a race, ethnicity, or nationality. When they are old enough, all Ravkan children are tested for powers, and if their powers are detected, they are sent to the capital to train in the Little Palace, near the king’s Grand Palace. Grisha are pretty much regarded as witches and treated as such, though they’re not magical so much as they are practitioners of Small Science, which means they manipulate matter. Think of them as benders in Avatar: The Last Airbender. They’re categorised too, though their names aren’t quite as straightforward as it is for benders.
- Okay, well, Healers are pretty straightforward.
- Think of Heartrenders as the offensive version of Healers, able to manipulate the heart, lungs, and emotions. In the first episode, we see Milana calming Alexei’s pulse in order to see past his trauma and unlock his memory of the crossing.
- Tailors are able to manipulate a person’s appearance, though the effects wear off and require retouching for long-term use. Think of them as extreme plastic surgeons for temporary procedures.
- Squallers manipulate wind. In the first episode, we see Zoya Nazyalensky powering the skiff over sand.
- Inferni manipulate fire.
- Fabrikators manipulate materials such as metal, glass, textiles, and chemicals. Think of them as extreme engineers and inventors. In the first episode, we hear that the newest skiff was made by Fabrikators.
- Shadow Summoners and Sun Summoners are the rarest and most powerful of them all, manipulating darkness and light, respectively. In the first episode, the only known Shadow Summoners in the history of the Grishaverse are The Black Heretic and General Kirigan/Darkling, and the only known Sun Summoner is Alina.
- And more, but that’s all you need to know for the show.
What’s the First and Second Army? The First Army is the Ravkan king’s army of normal humans and the Second Army is the Ravkan king’s army of Grisha, led by General Kirigan/Darkling. There’s tension between the two armies as the Second Army thinks the First Army is inferior, and the First Army knows it. Also people just don’t like Grisha.
Who’s Kaz? How does he own a club? How old is he? Kaz is a teenage thief and mercenary, leader of the Dregs gang, and owner of the Crow Club gambling house, which is run by the Dregs. The show doesn’t get into how this teenager owns a club so I won’t get into it either, but the idea is that he’s clever, conniving, and ruthless enough to do it. He always wears gloves and carries a cane with a crow-shaped handle on it. His squad (the Crows) includes Inej and Jesper. Inej is stealthy and a master with knives but has never killed anyone (yet…?!). In return for Inej’s skills, Kaz is paying off her indenture with the Menagerie, a brothel. Jesper is a sharpshooter and has a bit of a gambling problem.
The show vs the books
No spoilers! (except for the articles I link out to)
Before you get started with the books, know that there’s a major difference. In the books, Alina, Mal, and the Darkling/General Kirigan (General Kirigan is a new name created by the show) never cross paths with the Crows and their plot lines are completely unrelated. The show gave the Crows a new plot line (not a spinoff from the books!) in order to bring the cast together. Perhaps the next season of Shadow & Bone will cover the Crows’ plot line from the books! And if so, it’ll be interesting to see what new plot line Alina, Mal, and General Kirigan/Darkling will get.
There are many other differences between the show and the books, but I won’t get into them here since this is just a quick guide. There are tons of articles on it though:
- Major character differences via Screen Rant; spoiler warning for Netflix show, Shadow & Bone trilogy, and Six of Crows duology
- Quick listicle of smaller differences between the show and the books for the book fans keeping score via BuzzFeed; spoiler warning for Netflix show and first Shadow & Bone book
- How author Leigh Bardugo and showrunner Eric Heisserer spliced the Shadow & Bone trilogy and Six of Crows duology to create the show via LA Times; minor spoiler warning for Netflix show, Shadow & Bone trilogy, and Six of Crows duology, referencing General Kirigan/Darkling’s and Inej’s backstories
Where to start with the books
No spoilers!
Chronology of the Grishaverse books (also the publishing order, so no confusion there!):
- Shadow & Bone trilogy*: Shadow & Bone, Siege & Storm, Ruin & Rising
*Also called Grisha trilogy - Six of Crow duology: Six of Crows, Crooked Kingdom
- King of Scars duology: King of Scars, Rule of Wolves
Shadow & Bone trilogy, in which Alina Starkov discovers her dormant power and is the only hope of destroying the Shadow Fold, which tears the nation of Ravka in two. It follows Alina, Mal, and the Darkling/General Kirigan. Another major player you meet later (in the second book) is Nikolai.
Six of Crows duology, in which Kaz Brekker is offered a thirty-million-kruge job to break out a man–the inventor of an addictive drug that enhances Grisha powers–from an impenetrable prison. It takes place two years after the Shadow & Bone trilogy in the nation of Kerch and follows Kaz, Inej, Jesper, Matthias, Nina, and Wylan.
King of Scars duology, in which Nikolai Lantsov grapples with a dark power threatening Ravka, and Nina Zenik is on a mission to free captured Grisha from Fjerda. It takes place one year after the Six of Crows duology and follows Nikolai, Zoya, and Nina.
Six of Crows can be read without having read Shadow & Bone, but it’s probably better to read Shadow & Bone and/or Six of Crows before starting King of Scars.
I’m a stickler for reading things in chronological order, so that’s what I did, but there are many people who went straight into Six of Crows. It’s the fandom’s favourite series of the bunch as the writing and characters are most developed, while opinions are split about Shadow & Bone and King of Scars.
There are some people who find Shadow & Bone “generic YA trash,” and while “trash” might be a bit harsh, it is a generic YA fantasy. But I’m not above it. In fact, I had a lot of fun with the trilogy and finished it in four days. But for those who find the trilogy too juvenile or simply aren’t interested, don’t give up on the Grishaverse yet! I recommend giving Shadow & Bone a try first if you’re at all interested or to figure out if you’d be interested, and if not, then skip straight ahead to Six of Crows without a qualm! As I mentioned in the previous section, there’s no overlap between Shadow & Bone and Six of Crows in the books.
As for King of Scars, a lot of the appeal for fans was the charming Nikolai (who you meet in Siege & Storm and Crooked Kingdom), but I was pretty disappointed by this book, as were many other people I spoke to. So I haven’t picked up Rule of Wolves yet and don’t know if I will. I’d recommend saving this duology for last, if you decide you want to read it.
What questions do you have left?
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